1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to expandable bands in general, and more particularly to adjustable watchbands or similar articles forming or incorporated in annular elements to be worn around parts of the bodies of their users.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are already known various constructions of watchbands and similar articles to be worn by their users, among them, traditionally, such that are provided with clasps, buckles or similar connecting elements interposed between two portions of the respective band to provide for substantially snug, but releasable, mounting of the ultimately annular element constituted by or incorporating the band around the body part on which the element is to be worn. Many a watch or other utilitarian or adorning article of a similar kind has been lost or damaged, however, due to the accidental or inadvertent release of the clasp or buckle.
To avoid this, it has been proposed relatively recently, but still quite a while ago, to dispense with such clasps or buckles. To be able to do so, however, a way had to be found to get the now permanently annular element past a body portion, such as a hand, with a relatively larger circumference before reaching its final destination at a body portion (e.g., a wrist) with a relatively smaller circumference.
Moreover, in many instances (a wristwatch being just one of the examples), it was also required that the article or annular element not be loose when at its position of use. Both of these requirements have been met by so-called expandable bands consisting of individual links that can be displaced relative to one another when external forces tending to increase the length of the band are applied to the latter, in such a manner as to allow such a longitudinal expansion, but with a built-in resiliency that returns the band to its shortest permitted length upon discontinuance or abatement of such forces. That very same resiliency, moreover, causes the band to embrace the body portion in question in a manner that, ideally, is neither too tight, nor too loose.
Experience has shown that the sizes of wrists or similar body portions vary from person to person within a relatively wide range in dependence on various factors not limited to age, gender or the like. This makes it impossible to offer to the public just a single one-size-fits-all band length. On the other hand, it is at least impractical, if not impossible, to manufacture or keep in stock in sufficient numbers all possible band lengths that may be required at any time by prospective customers.
A way around this has been found, however: retail establishments have started offering to their customers that they would shorten or lengthen the "standard-size" watchbands to fit the customers' wrists comfortably. Unfortunately, the standard expandable bands were not designed with this in mind, so that the length-adjustment service was quite a laborious ordeal involving substantial bending of the sheet metal of which the respective expansion links were made, removal of staple-shaped connecting elements interposed between the adjacent links, and retro deformation of the affected ones of the links remaining after some others have been removed or added.
This, of course, was a less than satisfactory situation not only from the aesthetic viewpoint (it being almost impossible to assure that the double deformation of the affected links will leave behind no discernible marks or traces in all instances), but also from the economic standpoint, (the adjustment operation being rather time consuming and requiring skilled labor and, consequently, being rather expensive).
This has not gone unnoticed in the past, and it has been proposed, for instance in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,395 to Bennett, to insert a (non-expandable) extension arrangement between two separate portions of an expandable band. As proposed there, the links in question were provided, on the one hand, with respective abutments located at open ends of recesses, and on the other hand, with spring tongues insertable, in the longitudinal direction of the band, into the aforementioned recesses and engaging, in the opposite direction, behind the above abutments to prevent their retraction, supposedly at all times except in response to deliberate intervention of a human being trying to disassemble the consecutive links.
Yet, it had been established that this type of connection between the consecutive links is not as permanent or stable as it would appear from reading the above patent. Rather, due to the longitudinal orientation of the insertion/abutnent activity, it is possible under some circumstances, such as when the wearer engages in some strenuous activity or conducts rapid movements of the arm in question, for the spring tongues to become dislodged from behind the abutments, upon which there is nothing more preventing the band from falling apart with attendant loss of, or damage to, the wristwatch or similar article.